Chapter 3: Irrefutable offer

I could not think of anything else on our way there. Would he be able to help me? Even if he could, would he want to? He had no reason to help me. We weren't exactly on the same side. Yes, he has stopped trying to kill Inuyasha, but still. I was going out a limb doing this. Kouga had been quiet the entire time. He did not banter or crack any jokes like he usually did. No doubt he was wondering why I needed to see Sesshomaru, in the first place. I couldn't blame him. It was a crazy idea, but what other choice did I have? I couldn't lay down and die without trying. I could see the palace coming up in the distance. I gripped Koga's shoulders. I had a nervous pit in my stomach. There was no telling if this would work or not. Sesshomaru has made his feelings about humans very clear over the years. Hell, from the first moment, I met him when he tried to kill me. There was a very slim chance that he would help me. He has cared for Rin all this time, and she is human. Then again I was not Rin. He most likely considered me his brother's woman. I felt him come to a stop. I slid off his back and readjusted my pack. He had a worried look on his face.

"Are you alright? You look pale."

I nodded. "I'll be fine."

Though it sounded as though I was trying to convince myself more than I was him. The truth of the matter was this. If this did not work. I was going to die, and there was nothing that I could do about it. It that was starting to weigh on me. I had pushed it off for as long as possible, but I couldn't ignore it any longer. The fear that was creeping up on me.

"You can go. It is alright Koga."

If I failed today, I was going to need that two-day walk back. I quickly turned away from him and walked towards the palace, before he could object. I made my way past the first gate. Two demon guards stood by the second. I wrapped my arms around myself. Not out of fear, but because I'd realized I was wearing only a nightgown. A thin one at that. They looked down at me, waiting for me to speak I presumed.

"I am here to see Sesshomaru."

" Lord Sesshomaru does not speak with anyone." The first guard spoke.

I scowled. "Well, he will speak to me," I said, trying to sound convincing.

He leaned forward, meeting my eye. "Listen, you human wench-"

"Lady Kagome!"

I knew that voice anywhere. It was Rin. She ran towards me, a beaming smile on her face. She had grown so much in the last few years. She looked like a little woman. Sesshomaru had sent for her years ago when things with Naraku had taken a turn for the worse. We embraced each other in a tight hug. She pulled away from me, seeing what I was wearing. She removed her shawl from her shoulders, placing it around my own.

She turned to the guards. "She will be coming with me."

"Yes lady Rin," they said simultaneously.

While walking away. I made a face at the rude guard. Causing him to scowl; it made me smile. Served him right. I turned back to Rin. She may have changed physically, but she was still that same small child to me. I looked down at the way she held my hand. My eyes glazed around the courtyard. There were beautiful flowers planted everywhere. By Rin no doubt. She led me inside. It was my first time stepping foot inside the palace. It was very grand. More so than the ones that I had seen in my history books in high school. Servants were scurrying up and down the halls. Humans and demons alike, which surprised me. A majority of them glanced at me and whispered about me. I could not blame them. I looked strange, and I was dressed very inappropriately by their standards.

"Rin, where are you taking me?"

"You wish to see Lord Sesshomaru, yes? I overheard your conversation with the guards."

"I see," I mumbled.

After traveling up some staircases and a few more turns through the maze-like hallways. We came to a stop at a pair of large sliding oak doors. She smiled at me and set her small hands on my shoulders.

"I will be seeing you later," she said, giving me one last hug before running off.

I faced the doors. Unsure of whether or not I should open them.

"Come."

His deep voice startled me. I swallowed the lump in my throat and slid the door open. I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. He was surrounded by a mountain of paperwork. He signed away at them without looking up at me.

"Well?" he asked.

I set my pack on the ground. I sucked in a deep breath.

"I need your help."

He continued to scribble away on his papers with his quill. Moving them from left to right.

"I am going to die Sesshomaru."

He stopped and set his quill down, finally looking up at me. He leaned back in his chair, resting his arms on the rests.

"Go on," he ordered.

"The battle with Naraku is nearing. It is going to take everything that we have, and then some to beat him. I had to all but beg Kikyo for help, at Kaede's request because she knew. We could not win without her. She agreed, but only for a price. A very large one."

"Your life?"

"Yes. More specifically soul. She wants it back. If I lose that, then I lose my life."

"What do you think that I am going to do about this problem of yours?"

"I know what your sword is capable of."

"Yes. It is capable of saving those who recently died. However, it is for those who have no soul That is how they live. I slay the demons who feast on the remnants of your soul that remain after death. I cannot save what you will not have Miko."

My shoulders sank. It felt as though the air had been knocked out of me. My chest felt tight. It felt like my knees were going to give out at any moment.

"Now begs the question. Why would you ever agree to such a foolish deal?"

"To save the people that I care about. Why else?"

"Tell me, how much does living mean to you, Miko?"

"If I am here groveling before you like this. I would say that it means very much to me, Sesshomaru."

He stood, keeping his eyes on me. He stood only a few inches away from me. I looked up as he towered over me.

"Make me an offer Miko. One I cannot refuse."

"What could I possibly give you? I do not have anything you need."

"On the contrary Miko. You have exactly what I need. You do not know what it is, only because you have not asked."

"What do you need?" I asked, afraid of the answer.

"A wife."